Temporary Insanity used to be a forum here on AI back in the day and it could get wacky.

Temporary insanity, though, doesn't just apply to us here at AI, but the entire tech world. At PC World, there is an article claiming the new tablet won't be good for business. What do you guys and girls think?

Attention Apple fan-boys and -girls: Read no further. But if you run a small business and want to avoid wasting money and brain cells on superfluous technology, forget about the iSlate or whatever Apple is going to call its tablet computing device. It’s going to be too expensive, it does things you don’t need to do, and it will add a messy layer of complication to your company's computing infrastructure.

We all have extremely little idea of what this product will do, or cost, but yet before anyone even knows what it is, the author is dismissing it a "superfluous technology?" I mean, who knows, it may very well be entirely useless for businesses, but it seems like a ridiculous jumping of ye olde gun.

Well, certainly they're not going to have it hooked up to electronic medical records. That's just a shit-storm.

I've had this dream for an app that could be on an iPhone, or even better a slate, that would be hooked into the IT department of the hospital you worked at.

When you walked into the hospital it would import your patient list and all new labs. Then as a provider saw the his patients he could enter the exam level for that encounter, or any other billable procedure, and then when he returned to the office that would sync with his billing software. All wirelessly without a lot of fuss.

We all have extremely little idea of what this product will do, or cost, but yet before anyone even knows what it is, the author is dismissing it a "superfluous technology?" I mean, who knows, it may very well be entirely useless for businesses, but it seems like a ridiculous jumping of ye olde gun.

Don't you all remember the tablet that Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) was using in the Iron Man movie? I think the tablet would be a great digital assistant to someone in the business world.

I haven't seen an American hospital recently and imagine that in addition to the patient's actual medical data, the insurance data would be a nightmare due to the number of companies, etc. In Japan things are far simpler; having observed a small hospital here, I think that a tablet would be awesome, if the software was done right. There are some old doctors here (one I went to was well into his 80's) and not necessarily computer savvy, despite being certified to use CT scans, MRIs, etc. Apple could make the UI right so that even these guys (and gals) could use it.

Your = the possessive of you, as in, "Your name is Tom, right?" or "What is your name?"

You're = a contraction of YOU + ARE as in, "You are right" --> "You're right."

Please, stop doing this. You guys have a habit of making the days up to these things last so long I end up not caring about the actual event. We could have left it until Sunday at least to start this. Damn you all!

I don't see how a tablet has to be less productive. Touch can be one action but others have hypothesized that it might be able to read gestures above the tablet surface. It might work with fingers and some other instrument.

In the classroom we keep getting closer and closer to interactive blackboards. Basically many folks are starting to sell kits that read gestures above the surface of an item that is not touchscreen. There are hacks out there being done with software and Wiimotes as well. Apple innovation in this type of area could yield something amazing and something much more than a laptop without a keyboard.

Yes, a quite durable, strong spring system would need to be used for this application - however I don't work for Apple so I said I'd leave them do some of the work

When in the closed position the "push-stand" would sit flush against the rear of the tablet, meaning it wouldn't get in the way whatsoever. This closed mode is especially suited for reading or gaming, as you could then hold the device without the stand obstructing you.

Apple has patents here but I have to wonder what is taking them so long to implement. Especially on the small screen iPods. I don't expect high performance charging but rather greatly extended battery life.

You missed shortwave. By the way that might sound like a lot of radios to some but many of them are already built into the iPhone or could easily be. FM being one example.

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front and rear video cameras

Nope cameras could be seen as a waste here.

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universal remote, media controller, smart home controller

DLP pico projector

Made in the USA by union labor.

Not all union labor is bad you know. However if it is the same mentality that has been seen in Detroit then we would end up with a "s&!t box" of a tablet that would need a major overhaul every three months.

The big problem with doing the machine in the USA is that all the support industries are gone or not as advanced as they need to be.

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That last one's a little crazy.

Larry

Crazy, no not really. If Americans would resist buying simply on price our economy could be in far better shape than it is. I say could because our government is a big problem with respect to the overal economic decline. Besides I don't see direct labor as a big issue when Apple is taking 60 & 70% margins on it's Touch devices. This is the flip side of the discussion, that is companies obsessed with being pigs and making as much profit as possible.

However I doubt that such an aid would be implemented. The problem is simply the strength of the materials in a thin tablet and space for the mechanics. The only option I could see is a wire handle on an edge that could fold under the device. The handle would allow for carying suit case style.

However I really don't see any of those happening but rather see Apple doing something to the backside to make for easier gripping / hand holding. Maybe a slightly raised ridge around the outside perimeter of the backside.

In the end though if the device has an OLED screen or something similar, that can be read at acute angle, flat desktop use won't be a problem. Think about it we write on paper that is flat on the table, why not a tablet. Typing would be doable but more so handwriting input. The big factor here is the screen, as long as it is readable it ought to be fine.

Doesn't anybody work with clipboards? Pads of paper? Laying these low tech devices on tables or holding them in your lap is hardly a foreign concept. Apple doesn't necessarily need to make the table levitate to solve basic problems of usability. The trick for Apple is to make already familiar concepts work in a technology device.

In terms of design, keep in mind that any flip-up panel on the rear will probably have to be accommodated with a thicker case than would otherwise be needed. This is a more serious design problem than might be obvious, at least for a company like Apple, which wants things to look and function elegantly.